Two new police commissioners also appointed
The four – Kwata Osborne, Devante Bradley, Ian Davidson-Dugon and Joshua Galle – took their oaths of office during the Merrillville Town Council meeting Tuesday night. Their ranks bring Merrillville’s Police Department to 60 officers, Chief Wiley Cuttino said, and he hopes to be able to add more officers eventually.
All four were officers with other departments; Osborne and Bradley came from Gary, Cuttino said, while Davidson-Dugon came from Whiting and Galle from Hobart. Since none of them will head to the academy, they were expected to receive their assignments Wednesday morning.
“They have a very short night tonight,” Cuttino said.
Two new Police Commissioners – Petar Dragojevic Jr. and William Poling – were also appointed Tuesday, but the mood was less jubilant. Councilman Leonard White, D-7th, asked the council why were Dragojevic and Poling chosen when there were at least 10 applicants for the two spots.
“The process failed and everyone didn’t get an interview,” White said. “I don’t think it was fair and I should’ve seen you (gentlemen) before today.”
Council President Rick Bella, D-5th, acknowledged there was an interest in the commission the likes of which the council hasn’t before seen, but typically, the commission spots are political appointments guided by the FOP. Still, he agreed that White’s points were valid.
Dragojevic, a Democrat, will serve on the commission for three years, and Poling, a Republican, will serve two. The council approved their appointments 5-2, with White and Councilman Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, dissenting.
The town later tabled a resolution that would transfer money within the general fund from the park maintenance fund to possibly fill a $25,000 line-item for the Clerk-Treasurer Kelly White Gibson to hire an attorney if the office ever needed one. Councilman Shawn Pettit, D-6th, questioned the need for the Clerk’s office to even have an attorney.
“If someone has a problem, we’re the ones getting sued,” Pettit said of the council. “The Clerk-Treasurer’s office has never been sued and why was parks maintenance chosen?
“Hope my park and all the others are taken care of.”
White Gibson said that Parks Director Jan Orlich said in February she had $70,000 in her budget she could possibly give up. Pettit said the resolution’s language would need to be reworked before he would approve the transfer.
In other business, Pettit told the room that the new Community Center build on Broadway continues to flourish and that it’s scheduled a tentative March 1, 2021, opening.
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